Chapter 313: Oil Really Came Out
Wen Yao’s comical performance failed to spark much of a sensation. Everyone merely looked at one another, having no idea what she was talking about.
“Yao Yao, you’re saying this huge contraption is used for press-extracting oil? Isn’t oil rendered out in a wok? How does this thing press-extract it? Don’t tell me you pour lard into it?” Lady Li was the very first to raise a question.
After all, in the past, their family considered themselves fortunate just to see a speck of grease every day. Although life was better now and they could afford to be generous with oil when cooking, they had never seen anyone using a massive stone to press oil.
Seeing that everyone’s enthusiasm was low, Wen Yao reached out and patted the oil press behind her, explaining, “Second Aunt, we aren’t using lard to press oil, but soybeans.”
At this, the crowd finally offered a bit of a reaction.
“What? Oil can actually be extracted from soybeans?”
Wen Yao nodded: “Mm-hmm.”
Yet everyone remained skeptical. After all, this was something they had never heard of before.
Seeing them act like this, Wen Yao grew a bit anxious and said, “You don’t believe it, right? How about we place a bet?”
Casting a glance at Wen Xiuyi, Old Madam Luo chuckled: “What bet? If you have something to do, just say it straight out—don’t start talking nonsense.”
Only then did Wen Yao realize that in this household, gambling was an absolute taboo. She hurriedly admitted her mistake: “A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue! Grandma, I didn’t mean that. It’s just that this thing truly is used for press-extracting oil. Not only soybeans, but also those things I planted called peanuts, as well as sesame and rapeseed—they can all yield oil using this exact thing!”
Seeing how serious she was, Old Madam Luo’s posture turned solemn as well. After all, Wen Yao had never been one to spout boastful nonsense; out of ten things this girl said, nine were true, and the one that didn’t work out was only because others lacked the ability to achieve it.
At this thought, Old Madam Luo asked in a serious tone: “Can it really work?”
Wen Yao nodded with absolute certainty: “It can!”
Looking at the two hundred catties of soybeans carried over, Old Madam Luo gritted her teeth: “Then tell us how to do it. We’ll listen to you.”
With Old Madam Luo speaking up, Old Man Wen and the others all looked over. Old Man Wen muttered to Old Madam Luo in a low voice, “Are you really letting her tinker with this? These are two hundred catties of beans—think of how much soybean paste you could make with this!”
Old Madam Luo shot him a glare and issued an order: “Listen to Yao Yao in everything!”
Having obtained the supreme mandate, Wen Yao began directing everyone to get busy.
First, the beans had to be roasted until fragrant. The stoves and equipment in the workshop were readily available, so Lady Li and Lady Cai immediately set about roasting the beans according to Wen Yao’s instructions. Meanwhile, Wen Yao taught Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing how to operate the oil press.
Once Lady Li and Lady Cai finished roasting the beans, Wen Yao directed them to grind the beans, steam them over a wok, and finally wrap them tightly in cloth and straw stalks, pounding them firm to form round bean cakes.
“Yes, yes, yes! Stack these bean cakes right inside here. Grandma, put something underneath to catch it,” Wen Yao directed, and the members of the Wen family set to work, while Wen Xiuyi and Qiu Zhi watched from the side.
Qiu Zhi had never seen such a contraption before, but seeing Wen Yao’s firm and confident posture, he couldn’t help growing bewildered as well, asking Wen Xiuyi in a low voice, “Do you all trust Yao Yao this blindly?”
Wen Xiuyi thought to himself: It’s not trusting Wen Yao blindly, but trusting thousands of years of our culture.
“Children possess the capacity for innovation. We as adults cannot casually extinguish their enthusiasm. Whether it succeeds or fails, she has to try it herself before knowing. If it succeeds, everyone rejoices; if it fails, it serves as experience for her. Wouldn’t you say so?” Wen Xiuyi remarked.
Pondering over Wen Xiuyi’s words carefully, Qiu Zhi experienced a sudden epiphany, nodding in agreement, and took the initiative to join the busy crew as well.
Once all the preparations were completed, Wen Yao grew inexplicably nervous. After all, she was merely executing what she had learned in theory; although she had watched numerous videos on traditional oil pressing in the past, this was her very first time operating it in practice.
“Second Uncle, Third Uncle, follow what I taught you and begin!” With Wen Yao’s order, Wen Xiuzhu sat down in front of a device resembling a spinning wheel, starting to turn it bit by bit.
As he began turning, the sturdiest rope above—which Wen Yao had specifically requested—began coiling slowly. As the rope raised the thickest beam resting horizontally on the oil press, the other end pressing down on the bean cakes began pressing downward.
Under the weight, the bean cakes compressed below began suffering immense force, squeezing bit by bit. As the pressure mounted, glossy, bright liquid slowly began oozing out from the wrapping around the bean cakes.
“Mother! Mother, look! Something is really coming out!” Lady Li let out a sharp cry of excitement.
Old Madam Luo’s group was already gathered close by. Hearing her shouting, Old Madam Luo shot her a glare: “Don’t yell! We all see it!”
Lady Li hurriedly shut her mouth, yet the excitement in her eyes overflowed beyond words.
Walking around the contraption, Old Madam Luo fetched a small bowl, unable to wait for the oil to flow down before catching a bit directly at the side. First, she held it under her nose to smell it, then dipped her finger in a drop and placed it into her mouth.
“This…” Old Madam Luo wore an expression of sheer disbelief.
The moment she saw the oil emerge, Wen Yao let out a massive sigh of relief, her whole body losing its strength slightly as she leaned sideways against Wen Xiuyi: “It worked.”
Claiming she wasn’t nervous would be a lie; only upon seeing the oil successfully press out did Wen Yao relax completely.
Wen Xiuyi patted his daughter’s hand gently, his heart brimming with affectionate pride: “My daughter is truly amazing.”
Recovering her strength, Wen Yao regained her full energy, trotting over to Old Madam Luo’s side like presenting a treasure: “Grandma, I told you it would work, didn’t I?”
With tears shining in her eyes, Old Madam Luo couldn’t wait to test whether this oil was truly usable, wanting to head straight to the kitchen to stir-fry a dish as a test.
Wen Yao hurriedly stopped her: “Grandma, it still needs to be filtered.”
Old Madam Luo hastily had Lady Li bring fine cheesecloth over to filter it, then marched off holding the bowl of oil. Lady Li looked at the oil press, then looked at Old Madam Luo, and ultimately chose to run off behind Old Madam Luo as well. Lady Cai followed close behind, and even Old Man Wen ran along with them.
Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing—one turning the wheel, the other staring at the spot where oil was trickling out—both brothers wanted to go take a look as well.
Mu Li and Xun Feng walked over with great quickness of mind.
“Second Master, let me do it,” Mu Li took over Wen Xiuzhu’s task in one swift move. Wen Xiuzhu looked at him, nodding: “Then thank you for your trouble. I’ll go take a look!” Saying that, he bolted off.
Mu Li began learning his movements to turn the wheel. He had assumed it would be extremely heavy, only to discover that once clever leverage was applied, it wasn’t exhausting at all.
On the other side, Xun Feng stared at the place where oil trickled out, marveling endlessly under his breath.
Miss Yao Yao is truly Miss Yao Yao—she can actually squeeze oil right out of soybeans.
Qiu Zhi actually wanted to follow them to the kitchen to take a look as well, but curiosity about this contraption kept him behind in the end.
As for Wen Xiuyi, he was unfazed as always; whether he watched or not mattered little.
Before long, Old Madam Luo returned holding a plate of green vegetables, glossy and bright from a generous splash of oil.
“Grandma, does it work?” Wen Yao asked with a cheeky grin.
Tears glistening in her eyes, Old Madam Luo said, “It works! It works brilliantly!”
Standing beside Qiu Zhi, Wen Xiuyi nudged his shoulder with his own, chuckling: “How about it? Didn’t I say we shouldn’t extinguish a child’s enthusiasm? They are still young, and their minds haven’t been corrupted by worldly conventions; their heads are filled with boundless imagination. See? It worked!”
While feeling profoundly shocked, Qiu Zhi sighed with emotion in his heart—this Wen family truly consisted of extraordinary individuals, every single one of them.
A blessing for Annan.
A true blessing for Annan!
